Presidential aide Ibrahim Mahlab on Saturday said Egypt provides scholarships for African students at Senghor University of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).

Addressing the 16th Francophonie (French-speaking countries) Summit, Mahlab added that the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) will finance the scholarships in line with the country's interest in strengthening its presence and influence in the African continent through the International Organisation of La Francophonie which is considered one of the most important of these channels.

The presidential aide focused on challenges facing the Middle East and African countries in particular, especially those related to the fight against terrorism and confronting the phenomenon of illegal immigration.

He added that achieving sustainable development requires to deal with all these overlapping issues to avoid these negative impacts on the development plans and policies.

Mahlab said Egypt has taken several steps on the path to achieve sustainable development, including the approval of the national strategy for sustainable development entitled "Egypt Vision 2030".

He added that Egypt was one of the first countries that voluntarily submitted a report on its implementation of the relevant international commitments during the high-level political forum of the United Nations, which was held in New York in July 2016.

The presidential aide called on the OIF's Member States to support the Egyptian nomination for Moushira Khatab to the post of UNESCO Director-General. 

The 16th Francophonie (French-speaking countries) Summit officially kicked off on Saturday in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo with the presence of about 30 heads of state and government of the member countries of the International Organization of La Francophonie.

The two-day summit, with the theme "Shared growth and responsible development: Conditions for stability around the world and within the French-speaking world," will be closed on November 27 with a joint declaration of the participating heads of state and government.

Source: MENA